The rebels with an uplifting cause

In the work of Miami-based studio Moniomi Design there is a sense that it is always cocktail hour somewhere, that good times are just waiting to be had

- Pip Rich

We were the outcasts of Design Miami,' Monica Santayana says cheerfully. 'The organisers of the fair weren't happy that people actually wanted to use our pieces, to play on our ping pong tables. Most of the fair has signs that say “Do not sit”, but we were like “Please sit! Please hit!” It makes us happy when our work is actually being used, creating joy.' And so she neatly sums up the ethos of Moniomi, the Miami-based interior design and product studio she co-founded with her husband Ronald Alvarez, a place where – unlike most of the design/art world – their work is meant to function, to be enjoyed, to be interacted with. 'Pretty isn't non-touchable,' Monica adds.